Dispensing unit for banknotes

ABSTRACT

The invention relates to a dispensing unit for banknotes (42), comprising a banknote container (12) and a receiving module (14) which is in the form of the frame into which the banknote container (12) can be pushed. The unit includes an extracting and separating device for extracting banknotes (42) through an opening of the banknote container. The opening can be closed by a flap (26) and a closure plate (30). A retracting element (34) presses the banknotes against the extracting device by a force (P), before the flap is closed. The banknotes which are located in the banknote container are thereby forced away from the opening, back into the container interior. The retracting device is displaced in the direction of the extracting device (34) until the banknotes (42) come into the extracting position.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates to a banknote dispensing unit including a backnotecontainer and a frame-like receiving module.

DE-A-3706808 discloses a dispensing unit which is intended for automaticbanknote dispensers and in which banknotes are extracted upwards from abanknote container through an opening at its upper front edge. Theopening can be closed by a flap, for which purpose the banknotecontainer has a flap-actuating device which can be controlled independence on the displacement path of the banknote container in thereceiving module. Furthermore, a retracting element is provided, and,when the banknote container is removed from the receiving module andbefore the flap is closed, the retracting element forces the banknoteswhich are located in the banknote container away from the opening, backinto the container interior. Furthermore, the banknote containerconstructed in accordance with DE-A-3706808 also includes a pressingdevice which can be actuated by a motor, pressing the banknotes againstthe extracting device, and the construction of which can be gatheredfrom DE-A-3434780.

The abovedescribed dispensing unit operates reliably as long as thebanknotes are extracted upwards from the cassette. This is because,irrespective of the position of the retracting element, the banknotesare always located on their base and cannot drop out of the cassette. Itis therefore also not possible for them to get jammed in between theflap and the housing upon closure of the cassette. The separatingdevice, which generally comprises a transportation roller and acounteracting roller, may be arranged above the banknote containersince, if too many banknotes are extracted and pushed back by thecounteracting roller, they can drop back into the container.

If, however, the intention is for banknotes to be extracted downwardsfrom the banknote container, other conditions apply: the separationdevice has to penetrate into the banknote container in order forbanknotes which have been gripped in duplicate and pushed back remain inthe container. When the banknote container is removed from the receivingmodule, the retaining force by which the extracting device retains thefront banknotes in their position decreases. It is then possible forthese banknotes to drop easily into the nip between the separationroller and the counteracting roller. If the flap then closes, then thebanknotes which have dropped down get jammed in between said flap andthe housing. This inevitably results in disruption to functioning whenthe cassette is reintroduced into a receiving module.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The object of the present invention is to provide a dispensing unit forbanknotes in which the banknotes are drawn downwards from the banknotecontainer through an opening at the lower front edge of the banknotecontainer, and in which they are always retained securely within thebanknote container when the latter is pushed into the receiving moduleor pushed out of the see.

This object is achieved by the present invention. The invention is basedon the consideration that the banknotes may only pass into that regionof the banknote container which, with the banknote container pushed intothe receiving module, is occupied by the extracting device when thecontainer is also actually located there. For this purpose, theinvention runs through successive control steps: when the banknotecontainer is pushed into the receiving module, over a first section ofthe displacement part, the flap is pivoted away from a first part of theopening. If the banknote container is then pushed further into thereceiving module, then a closure plate which covers over the second partof the opening is also pushed away, with the result that the removalopening for the banknotes is fully opened. It is only when the entiredisplacement path is essentially being covered that a locking meanswhich retains the retracting element in its retracted position isreleased, whereupon the retracting element is displaced by the pressingdevice located in the cassette, along with the stack of banknotes, inthe direction of the extracting device until the banknotes come intotheir extracting position. As in the case of the prior art, when thebanknote container is removed from the receiving module and before theflap is closed, the retracting element forces the banknotes located inthe banknote container away from the opening, back into the containerinterior. This is achieved, in an embodiment of the invention, in thatthe retracting movement of the retracting element is positively coupledto the closure movement of the flap and is controlled such that thebanknotes are drawn back from the extracting device before the flap hasreached its closed position. This is achieved in that the flap-actuatingdevice has a rocker which engages, by means of a guide peg fitted on it,into a control curve on the receiving module, and in that the rocker isconnected in an articulated manner to a pivot lever fitted on the flap;the rocker engages, by means of a peg fitted on it, into a slot of aslotted-guide lever connected to the retracting element, such that, whenthe banknote container is drawn out of the receiving module, the pegdraws the retracting element back and, when the banknote container ispushed in, the peg runs along in the slot without displacing theslotted-guide lever. This displacement only takes place in theabovedescribed manner by way of the pressing device.

In its position which corresponds to the closed flap, that is to saywhenever the banknote container is located outside the receiving module,the rocker is secured against undesired pivoting by a locking bolt. Whenthe banknote container is pushed into the receiving module, this lockingbolt is unlocked by a control protrusion located on the receivingmodule. The result is that, when the banknote container is pushedfurther into the receiving module, the flap can be pivoted open in theabovedescribed manner.

According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, the sameflap-actuating devices are arranged on the two side walls of thebanknote container. These interact with control curves which are of thesame shape and are located on the side walls of the receiving module.This measure avoids twisting of the flap-actuating device, which couldeasily occur if the latter is arranged on one side only. It is thuspossible for the flap-actuating device to be constructed much moreeasily.

Additional features and advantages of the present invention aredescribed in, and will be apparent from, the detailed description of thepreferred embodiments and from the drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 shows a banknote container pushed into a receiving module, and

FIG. 2 shows the banknote container outside the receiving module.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

For better understanding of the drawing, the selected mode ofrepresentation will be explained first of all: all the note-transportingrollers, since these are easily recognizable as such, are represented bysolid lines. This mode of representation has also been selected for allvisible parts, that is to say for those which are located in front of aside wall 10. In this arrangement, concealed parts are represented bybroken lines. All the parts which are located behind the side wall inthe interior of the banknote container 12 are depicted by chain-dottedlines and all the parts which are assigned to a receiving module 14 aredepicted by dots.

FIG. 1 shows that part of a banknote container 12 which is in thevicinity of the removal opening, the banknote container having beenpushed into a receiving module 14. A receiving opening 16 of thebanknote container comprises an opening 18 in the front wall 20 and acutout 22 which adjoins the latter and is located in the base 24 of thebanknote container 12. The opening 18 can be closed by a pivotable flap26. The cutout 22 can be closed by a closure plate 30 which can bedisplaced parallel to the base 24 in grooves 28. The banknote container12 is closed towards the top by a cover, which is constructed as in theprior art in accordance with DE-A-3706808 and can be locked as is citedtherein.

An extracting roller 34 which is associated with the receiving module 14penetrates into the container 12 through the removal opening 16 and hasarranged beneath it a separating device,-which comprises a transportingroller 36 and a counteracting roller 38.

Arranged in the interior of the banknote container 12, parallel to thebase 24, is a banknote rest 40 on which a stack of banknotes 42 isplaced, the banknotes standing on one edge.

Introduced between the banknotes 42 and the front wall 20 is aretracting element 44 which is in the form of a plate and is connectedon its two sides to in each case one slotted-guide lever 46.Through-passages (not shown) for the extracting rollers 34 are cut outof the retracting element 44. A pressing plate 48 which belongs to apressing device (which will not be outlined in any greater detail) islaid against the rear side of the stack of banknotes. The constructionof the pressing device is described in detail in DE-A-3434780. In thedrawing, the direction in which the pressing force acts is representedsymbolically by an arrow designated by P.

On the side wall 10, a rocker 50 is retained pivotally on a bearingjournal 52. A first peg 56 arranged on the rocker engages into a slotcutout 58 of a pivot lever 60, the flap 26 being fastened at that end ofthe pivot lever which is remote from slot cutout. The pivot lever 60 ismounted on the side wall 10 by means of a pivot bearing 62. A second peg64 on the rocker 50 engages into a slot 66 which is remote from theretracting element 44 and is located in the slotted-guide lever 46. Theslotted-guide lever 46 is mounted displaceably, by way of a further slot68 parallel to the slot 66, on a peg 70 fitted on the side wall 10.

Fitted beneath the slotted-guide lever 46 is a locking lever 74 whichcan be pivoted counter to the force of a spring 72 and secures theretracting element 44 in its drawn-back position with the aid of alatching lug 75 (FIG. 2). That end of the locking lever 74 which is inthe vicinity of the removal opening 16 is provided with a contour 78which runs downwards in the form of an arc. When the banknote container12 is pushed into the receiving module 14, said contour interacts with acarry-along member 80 which is fitted on the receiving module anddisplaces the locking lever 74 downwards into its unlocking position.

Formed in the rocker 50 is a catch 82 into which a locking bolt 84 whichis mounted in the side wall 10 can engage. Said locking bolt 84 isconnected to a control cam 86 which interacts with a control protrusionon the receiving module 14 when the banknote container is pushed intothe receiving module. The locking bolt 84 is prestressed in thedirection of the rocker 50 by a spring (not shown).

An aligning roller 88 is arranged beneath the banknote rest 40, in thevicinity of the counteracting roller 38 and parallel to the latter, suchthat the circumference of the aligning roller projects through apertures(not shown) in the banknote rest 40 and projects beyond the latter to asmall extent. The aligning roller 88 extends essentially over the entirewidth of the banknotes. Grooves are provided at a distance apart fromone another in its circumferential surface, with the result that thealigning roller 88 comprises a number of disks spaced apart one besidethe other. It is produced from a soft and resilient, porous plastic witha high coefficient of friction.

The aligning ruler 88 is in drive connection with the counteractingroller 38 via a frictional-wheel or gear-wheel coupling. It consequentlyrotates in such a direction of rotation that its circumferential partwhich projects through the banknote rest 40 moves in the direction ofthe extracting roller 34. The lower edges of the banknotes which arelocated over it are thus moved in this direction.

As is known, financial institutions package banknotes in bundles whichare held together by bands. As a result of this and of the bending ofthe bundle when the band is removed, the banknotes are often no longerplanar, but are curved at the edges. If bundles of banknotes which havebeen bent in this way are placed in the banknote container such thattheir edges are oriented away from the extracting roller 34, this mayresult in disruption in the extracting operation because the lower edgeof the banknote 42 does not come away from the banknote rest 40. Thebanknotes also show the same tendency to curve as a result of thegradual advancement of the stack of banknotes located in the banknotecontainer in the direction of the extraction roller 34. In thisarrangement, the lower edges of the banknotes are subject to friction onthe banknote rest 40. This results in a restraining force acting on thelower edges of the banknotes. The aligning roller 88, then, counteractsthis curvature, as a result of which the lower edges of the banknotesare pushed in the direction of the extracting roller 34. At the sametime, the lower edges of the banknotes are loosened and adjacentbanknotes are separated from one another. This assists the separatingaction of the counteracting roller 38.

The operations of introducing a banknote container 12 into the receivingmodule 14 and removing the same are described hereinbelow. FIG. 2 showsthe banknote container 12 in a position in which it has just beenintroduced into the receiving module 14 by its front end. The guide peg54 is located in the lower, straight part of a control curve 90, whichis formed on a side wall of the receiving module 14, said side wallbeing located parallel to the side wall 10 of the container 12. Acontrol protrusion (not shown) which is likewise fitted on saidreceiving module has pushed the locking bolt 84 out of the catch 82. Ifthe banknote container 12 is then displaced to the left in FIG. 2, theguide peg 54 slides upwards along the control curve 90, as a result ofwhich the rocker 50 pivots out of its horizontal position into anupright position. In this arrangement, the first peg 56 runs along inthe slot cutout 58 and pivots the pivot lever 60 in the clockwisedirection. On account of the geometry of this lever, the flap 26 ispivoted upwards into the position shown in FIG. 1 when it passes througha first section of the displacement path. The second peg 64 runs alongin the slot 66 of the slotted-guide lever 46, until it has reached theleft-hand border of said slot, without displacing the slotted-guidelever 46 in the process.

After a further section of the displacement path, the front upendedportion of the closure plate 30 strikes against an edge 92 on thereceiving module 14. As the banknote container is pushed further, thisholds the closure plate 30 back, as a result of which the latter ispushed along in the groove 28 relative to the container 12 and thusreleases the cutout 22 in the base 24 of the banknote container. After afurther section of the displacement path, shortly before reaching theend position, the carry-along member 80 engages the contour 78 of thelocking lever 74 and presses the latter downwards during the rest of thedisplacement path, with the result that the latching lug thereofreleases the retracting element 44. The pressing force P can then bringthe pressing plate 48, and, with this, the stack of banknotes, into theposition shown in FIG. 1. Consequently, the retracting element 44 isalso displaced into the position shown in FIG. 1, with the result thatthe extracting roller 34 can grip the front banknote 42. The second peg64 passes to the right-hand border of the slot 66 in this process.

When the banknote container 12 is drawn out of the receiving module 14,the abovedescribed movement procedures take place in the reverse order.The guide peg 54 of the rocker 50 once again follows the control curve90, as a result of which the rocker is pivoted to the right. The secondpeg 64 can engage directly on the slotted-guide lever 46, as a result ofwhich the retracting element is forced back again into the positionshown in FIG. 2. On account of the lever geometry, the stack ofbanknotes has thus been displaced away from the removal opening 16, intothe container interior. At no time in this procedure are the banknotesout of contact with the forces which hold them together. This thusensures that, even after the banknote container 12 has been removed fromthe receiving module 14, the banknotes 42 are positioned on the banknoterest 40 in an ordered manner.

Various changes and modifications to the presently preferred embodimentswill be apparent to those skilled in the art. Such changes andmodifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope ofthe present invention and without diminishing its attendant advantages.Therefore, the appended claims are intended to cover such changes andmodifications.

What is claimed is:
 1. A dispensing unit for banknotes, the dispensingunit comprising a banknote container in the form of a box and areceiving module which is in the form of a frame into which the banknotecontainer can be pushed and which has an extracting and separationdevice for extracting banknotes downwards through an opening of thebanknote container;the opening being at least partially closable by aflap of the banknote container by a flap-actuating device which iscontrollable in dependence on a displacement path of the banknotecontainer in the receiving module; the banknote container including aretracting element arranged such that when the banknote container isremoved from the receiving module and before the flap is closed, saidretracting element forces the banknotes located in the banknotecontainer away from the opening, back into the container interior; thebanknote container including a pressing device actuatable by a motor forpressing the banknotes against the extracting and separating device; theflap-actuating device having a pivotable rocker with a guide peg, and apivot lever which bears the flap, the pivotable rocker and pivot leverbeing coupled to one another via a slotted-guide control means; the unitbeing arranged such that, when the banknote container is pushed into thereceiving module, the guide peg (54) fastened on the rocker engages acontrol curve disposed on a side wall of the receiving module and pivotsthe rocker over a first section of the displacement path, causing theflap to pivot away from a first, upper part (18) of the opening (16) thebanknote container including a closure plate which is displaceablebetween a position in which it closes a second, lower part of theopening and a position in which it releases the same, the receivingmodule having an edge which projects into a displacement path of theclosure plate and restrains the closure plate over a second section ofthe displacement path of the banknote container in the receiving module,causing the lower part of the opening to be released, the banknotecontainer including a locking lever which retains the retracting elementin a retracted position, the receiving module including a carry-alongelement which, over the rest of the displacement path of the banknotecontainer in the receiving module, adjusts the locking lever into aposition in which the locking lever releases the retracting element,whereupon the retracting element is displaceable by the pressing devicea direction of the extracting device to such an extent that thebanknotes are placed in an extracting position.
 2. The dispensing unitas claimed in claim 1, wherein the retracting movement of the retractingelement is positively coupled to the closure movement of the flap and iscontrolled such that banknotes located in the banknote container aredrawn back from the extracting device before the flap has reached itsclosed position.
 3. The dispensing unit as claimed in claim 1, whereinthe rocker has a peg (64) fitted thereon which engages into a slot of aslotted-guide lever connected to the retracting element, such that, whenthe banknote container is drawn out of the receiving module, the pegdraws the retracting element back, and when the banknote container ispushed in, the peg runs along in the slot without displacing theslotted-guide lever.
 4. The dispensing unit as claimed in claim 3,wherein the rocker is locked by a locking bolt a position whichcorresponds to the closed flap, and wherein the locking bolt has acontrol cam which can be actuated in the unlocking direction by acontrol protrusion on the receiving module.
 5. The dispensing unit asclaimed in claim 3, wherein the said rocker and pivot lever are arrangedon the two side walls of the banknote container, and the control curveis arranged on the inner walls of the receiving module, said inner wallsfacing the side walls of the banknote container.